Amsterdam Attractions

The archaeological collection of Amsterdam University, the Allard Pierson Museum, is one of the biggest university museums of this kind in the world. Ancient Egypt is represented by mummies, sarcophagi, figures of gods and animals, plus collections from the Near East, Mesopotamia, Cyprus and Iran. Ancient Greece and Rome are also well represented.

There are a great many antique shops centered around the Nieuwe Spiegstraat, Spiegelgracht, Rokin and Elandsgracht. Prices for top items are no cheaper here than in the other big European cities.

The Bachzaal is a concert hall with live performances of amateur and professional musicians. Some of the events held here are free.

This museum of baking (Banketbakkersmuseum) and pastrymaking has an old bakery with shops, old engravings, recipe books, etc.

The Beurs van Berlage is one of the most important architectural monuments of its kind. There are drawings and mock-ups of the building as well as documents about it on display.

The Bilderdijk Museum in Amsterdam displays a collection of drawings, engravings and curios illustrating the life of the Dutch poet Willem Bilderdijk (1756-1831), known for his translations of the classics and patriotic poems and plays.

From the Dam the broad Damrak, one of the main traffic arteries of the city center, runs north-east to the Central Station, passing on the right the Commercial Exchange, an imposing brick building by H. P. Berlage (1899-1903) which set the pattern for modern Dutch architecture.

Trips on old trams from Haarlemmermeer Station which, until 1950, was the point of departure for the steam engine to Amstelveen, Aalsmeer and Uithoorn. The old rails were adapted to take trams, and today the museum tram takes visitors into the Amsterdamse Bos and as far as Amstelveen, a stretch of about 6km/4miles, making regular use of 15 of the collection of 60 trams, built between 1910 and 1950 in the Netherlands, Germany and Austria. This is a trip particularly enjoyed by children.

Farther south lies the Buitenveldert district, in which is the Free University, with Christian affiliations, which was founded in 1880. A botanic garden in the University grounds displays the native Dutch flora. In the main building, at De Boelaan 1105, is a collection of material on the history of the botainc garden (established 1967).

From the Zoo at Plantage Kerklaan leads by way of Roeterstraat to the Nieuwe Prinsengracht; at No. 130 is the Geological Museum of the University, with a large collection of minerals and fossils. The central feature is the Timor Collection of materal of the Permian and Triassic periods.

Golfclub Olympus.
The Golfclub of Olympus is located in southern Amsterdam.

A striking modern building Het Muziektheater seats 1,600 and about 10 operas a year are performed here with a special interest in modern and Dutch operas.

The modern building was built in 1988.

The Historic Collection of posters, books, documents, paintings, etc. illustrates the history of the university since 1632. The Agnetien Chapel, in which it is housed, has been part of the university since 1470 and was restored in 1921.

Diagonally opposite the University, at the point where Oudezijds Voorburgwal, Oudezijds Achterburgwal and Grimburgwal meet, can be seen the famous Driegrachtenhuis.

The Foundation for Photography in Huis Marseille conatins a collection which spans the twentieth century. The main emphasis is on contemporary work by photographers involved in the visual arts.

"Magere Brug" near the Weesperstraat is the most photographed. This simple wooden drawbridge over the Amstel was built in 1671 as a footbridge. After being renovated several times it was demolished in 1929. It was to be replaced by a modern electrically operated bridge but it was finally decided to build a wooden reconstruction of the original. The building work was supervised by the architect Mager who gave his name to the bridge.

The Amsterdam Metro's three lines cover 40 km of which 3.5 km are in tunnel and 24 km are elevated. Perhaps most noteworthy is the stop directly under Schiphol airport which makes it quite easy for travelers to get downtown.

A rebuilt tower mill from 1847, this mill, Molen van Sloten, assists in steadying the water level in the polder.

An audio-visual show features the life and work of Rembrandt.

Montelbaanstoren was once part of the medieval city walls. The strucure was constructed in 1512 and kept intruders out of the Oudeschans.

From the east end of Plantage Middenlaan the Muidergracht leads to the Muiderpoort, a town gate in neo-classical style built by C. Rauws in 1770 after the collapse of the earlier gate of 1663.

Exhibition commemorating the Dutch writer Multatuli, whose real name was Eduard Douwes Dekker (1820-1887), and who in his freethinking, humanitarian novels (including "Max Havelaar or The Dutch on Java"), sharply attacked the Dutch colonial system.

The main shopping streets, Rokin, Kalverstraat and Reguliersbreestraat, start from the Muntplein. In the 15th C. this square on the Amstel next to the city wall, known at the time as Sheep Square, was where the sheep market was held. Its present name dates from 1672 when money was coined in the Mint (the former guardroom next to the Mint tower).

The Museum Overholland has been housed since 1987 in a building built in 1925 in the style of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Its theme is "Art on paper since 1970" and it has a collection of drawings, watercolors, gouaches, etc.

Spaarpottenmuseum contains a collection of more than 12,000 money boxes from all over the world.

Seven hundred years of the art, culture and history of spectacles are presented at the Museum of Spectacles (Brilmuseum) in Amsterdam.

The Verzetsmuseum is the Museum of the Netherlands Resistance movement during the German Occupation from 1940 to 1945, housed in a former Jewish synagogue.

At the Netherlands Crafts Center it is still possible to see demonstrations of crafts such as cheese-making, glass-blowing, making clogs, pewter work, lead glazing, painting Delft china, pottery, silver-working, spinning and weaving.
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There actually used to be a market on the Nieuwmarkt in the 17th and 18th C. and it was divided up into individual plots for the stalls selling cheese, fish, herbs and cloth. During the Second World War the Nieuwmarkt was widely known for its flourishing Black Market. In 1975 there were street riots in this area when the local people gave vent to their anger at the demolition of many houses for the construction of the Underground. The Nieuwmarkt is the site of the Waaggebouw, built as a gateway to the city in 1488.

The Noorderkerk (1620-23), has a ground-plan in the form of a Greek cross.

Noordermarkt is a popular square in Amsterdam with restaurants and markets on various days of the week.

Oudemanhuispoort is an arcade with a number of antiquarian bookshops and bookstalls with "oude mannetjes" (little old men) behind the counter. As its name "old men's gateway" indicates, the arcade used to be the entrance to an old people's home. Above the entrance there are still allusions to old age: a pair of spectacles and two old men.

Amsterdam's most important sports center is the Olympic Stadium. Built in 1928 when the Olympic Games were held in the Netherlands, it originally held 40,000 spectators but after being extended in 1936 it now holds 60,000. Athletic and speedway meetings and cycle races take place in the stadium.

At the corner of Kloveniersburgwal and Oude Hoogstraat stands the Oostindisch Huis, the oldest part of which was built by Hendrick de Keyser in 1606. It is laid out round a courtyard with very handsome facades. Tha facade of the north wing dates from 1633, that of the east wing from the late 19th century.

Peter Stuyvesant Stichting in Amsterdam allows for viewing of modern painting and sculpture intended for business and public art uses.

The Prinsengracht is less elegant than either the Keizersgracht or the Herengracht and therefore livelier and busier. The rents of the houses here are much more reasonable; there are relatively fewer banks and offices but many snug little cafes.

Amsterdam's primary science center is NEMO, formerly the ederlands Insituut voor Nijverheid en Techniek. The museum offers displays designed for all ages and is a popular family outing.

Permanent exhibition of shipyard machinery, models and shipwrights' tools, plus some old ships at their moorings.

Nearly everyone goes on a canal trip when they're in Amsterdam - there are numerous glass- topped boats taking visitors through the canals and out onto the Amstel and round the harbor. It's also quite an experience to do the tour at night, especially the candlelit version, on a boat lit by candles included in the price. The tours depart every hour during the summer, and at longer intervals in winter. They last between an hour and half a day, and the commentary is in four languages. Tours can be booked in the Amsterdam VVV tourist information centers, or with the operators direct.

Private collection of 17th C. Dutch masters, including Rembrandt.

Stichting EnergeticA in Amsterdam is a museum of science and technology.

From the Nieuwmarkt Kloveniersburgwal runs south-west. Off its western side opens Koestraat, at Nos. 10-12 of which is the Wijnkopersgildehuis. Three houses built in 1551 were combined into one in 1611 and then rebuilt between 1633 and 1655. The gable and doorway were built by Pieter de Keyser (1633). The main feature of the interior is the Guild Hall.

From the Schreierstoren a narrow stret, Oudezilds Kolk, leads south-west into the Zeedijk, one of Amsterdam's oldest streets, with many houses leaning at an angle from the vertical. At No. 1 is a 15th century house which is thought to be the oldest surviving building in the city.

The Zeiss Planetarium in Amsterdam features a Zeiss IV-B which was installed in 1988. Its dome measures 20 m.